Changing of the Guard
As the semifinals were played at the 2008 Australian Open, nary an American tennis player was in sight. For the first time since 1973, no American player reached the semis in singles, doubles or mixed doubles. There has been a lot of talk the past couple years regarding the slide in American tennis and the paucity of talented players coming up the rankings. However, amidst all of the chatter, there have still usually been a couple
Americans in the doubles semis of most Grand Slams, e.g. the Bryan brothers, Lisa Raymond. In 2008, there were a few players in the semis from countries such as Serbia, China, Israel and India, as well as France, Spain, Russia Slovakia, etc. As tennis has become more global, there continue to be more top players from countries other than the traditional tennis powerhouse countries such as the United States and Australia. It was inevitable and it’s exciting… especially at a Grand Slam such as the Australian Open where the fans show their national pride in a much more visual and vocal way than at other Grand Slams.
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